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Yoguchi was hurriedly confirmed as Coordinator following the "assassination" of his father by GeneralFrederick Kozoma, the Combine as a whole eager to return to normal, with the Draconis Combined Mustered Soldiery believing that Yoguchi better represented the guise of the true Kurita. Yoguchi's first speech after becoming Coordinator seemed to prove this, reaffirming the long-held belief that the Combine would one day rule the entire Inner Sphere and the vital need for a supremely strong military to ensure this. [1]

To assert his ability to command that military, among Yoguchi's first acts was to plan and launch an immediate attack against Hesperus II and Defiance Industries, the lynchpin of the Lyran Commonwealth's BattleMech manufacturing. Sending two DCMS 'Mech and five conventional regiments, though ultimately the so-called Fifth Battle of Hesperus II ended in defeat for the Combine forces, it was more successful than any to date and firmly cemented Yoguchi's standing among the DCMS High Command. Confident that he was in firm control of the military state, Yoguchi allowed the fighting on both the Lyran and Davion to die down as he began to plan for a major new offensive.[1]

However Yoguchi would quickly lose the confidence of the High Command when he also moved to directly attach the Internal Security Force to the DCMS. With as much reason to fear the Combine's secret police as anyone else, the Combine military dared not exert its supposed authority over the ISF, while the ISF itself had long considered that it was the personal servant of the Coordinator and interpreted Yoguchi's move as a deep insult questioning the value of their service. This would eventually have dire repercussions for Yoguchi and his successor Miyogi. [1]

At first Yoguchi was oblivious to the rift as he spent a whole year of planning sessions that ultimately devised a new version of the planet-hopping strategy that his uncle Jinjiro had proven so effective in the First Succession War. Aside from a series of deep raids intended to keep the Lyrans and Davions off-balance, Yoguchi's version focused on a slower and more methodical wave to capture those enemy planets closest to the Combine. Launched in 2840, with Yoguchi was fully focused on the offensive when the Federated Suns counter-attacked, he selected his younger sister Roweena to head-up the People's Reconstruction Effort in 2841, unaware that his ambitious sister would soon use the PRE as a means to secure the loyalty of the embittered ISF. [2]

By the later years of the decade as his offensive, Yoguchi was becoming increasingly dismayed at the lack of progress from his troops, the shame almost causing him to consider ritual suicide as atonement. Though the great success of the offensive against the Lyran Commonwealth pleased him greatly, especially the defeat of the elite Fourth Royal Guards by his son Hugai, by 2849 the Davion's counter-offensive had managed to push the Combine troops back and in number of cases even capture Combine worlds. Increasingly enraged by what he viewed as an insult to his family's destiny, when Yoguchi read reports indicating the Armed Forces of the Federated Suns had chosen to target the Combine-held farming world of Tishomingo he rashly decided to personally lead the planet's defense. [3][4]

Bringing with him only the elite 4th Sword of Light and three other lesser regiments, though the DCMS High Command did not consider them sufficient, Yoguchi was confident of success. Yoguchi was unaware however that food and water shortages on Federated Suns worlds near the Davion-Combine border had grown so severe that the AFFS invasion force targeting Tishomingo consisted of twenty regiments, four of which were BattleMech formations. Heavily outnumbered, the Combine defense quickly collapsed when a AFFS 'Mech battalion made a daring drop against Yoguchi's headquarters and forcing him to desperately flee into the surrounding heavy forests, his second-in-command convinced the Coordinator had been killed and reporting this back to Luthien. [3][4]

Unaware Yoguchi had been on-world, after the Davion forces had secured the planet within a month after destroying the last Kurita 'Mech, the bulk of the AFFS invasion force moved on, leaving a single 'Mech regiment behind. Alive and very angry, Yoguchi quickly organized the civilian population to resist the Davion forces, Tishomingo's population fanatically giving up their lives to strike at the AFFS troops. Back on Luthien his sister Roweena eventually divined that the fanatical resistance of the people of Tishomingo likely indicated her brother had survived after all and organised a military campaign to rescue whoever was directing the guerrilla action against the Davion occupation. [3][4]

Back on Tishomingo Yoguchi's luck ran out when a surprise Davion patrol discovered him when it swept through his forest hideaway. While he ultimately escaped from their grasp and fled to the city of Urado, the Davion troops had recognized him and focused their entire efforts on recapturing him. Warned of their ruler's imminent arrival, the military resistance in Urado sponsored a religious festival as a cover, the city swelling to twice its normal size as they set about arming the influx. When Yoguchi entered the city, the Davion garrison was quickly killed as Urado was transformed into an impromptu fortress. [3][4]

Though the first attempts to take the Kurita stronghold failed, after seven days a battalion of Davion 'Mechs attacked the besieged city of Urado. Despite the courage and determination to protect their ruler resulted in ever more desperate and suicidal strikes, the Urado defensive lines quickly crumbled as the Davion 'Mechs pushed into the city convinced they would soon capture their prize. It was then that the rescue force sent by Roweena landed, the shock arrival of a major DCMS force convincing Davion forces to withdraw back to base and await reinforcements and allowing Yoguchi to escape off-world. In total more than three million Kurita citizens gave their lives fighting against the Davion occupation of Tishomingo, fifty thousand of which had died during the desperate defense of the Coordinator in Urado. Yoguchi would accord them the ultimate honor when he mentioned their courage in a speech. [3][4]

The death of Yoguchi so soon after his miraculous return shook the Draconis Combine to its core. Publicly Combine propaganda put forth the idea that Yoguchi was killed while heroically fighting a whole team of assassins, the truth was known only to the House Kurita inner circle which felt great shame in the very concept that a lone Lyran spy could get so close, remained undetected, and assassinate the Coordinator. Yoguchi's successor, his brother Miyogi, felt honor-bound to avenge this insult which lead to the largest Kurita offensive against the Lyran's center of 'Mech production Hesperus II and the loss of the last active Successor StateWarShips until the arrival of the Clans.[5][6][4][7]

Yoguchi married and had at least one son, Taragi, though his younger brother Miyogi would succeed him upon his assassination largely due to his son's inability to serve in the combat arm of the military. After a decades long game of manipulation and cunning, Taragi would ultimately discredit and engineer the assassination of Miyogi and claim the position of Coordinator. [7]

I know of no better way to end one's life than upon the upthrust bayonet of my enemy, for close behind would be my comrades, read to avenge my death. And before me would stretch Paradise. There I will feast on heavenly manna and sit in the presence of Him, the Most Wise.